I admit, I’m an information junkie. Blogs, podcasts, TV, books, Facebook groups, Twitter, Instagram—the more things I can cram into my (admittedly, overfull) head the better. For some reason cleaning hacks have become one of my obsessions, and even though I don’t practice it well all the time, I have a few cleaning shortcuts tucked into my back pocket for when I need them.
1. Clean your wood cutting board with sea salt and a cut lemon. Cutting boards are hella porous, and I recently learned that cleaning them with soap is a no-no (unless you love eating soap?). I rinse mine off after every use, then sprinkle some coarse sea salt, and give it a good rub-down with half a lemon, then rinse. Bonus: Throw the lemon in your garbage disposal when you’re done, run some water, and turn on the disposal for an instantly yummy-smelling kitchen.
2. To stop getting that icky pink/orange stuff in your bathroom, nix the bar soap and switch to a liquid shower gel. Who knew that stuff was just soap scum? Liquid soaps don’t build up like bars, so switching will make a huge difference in the buildup on your shower walls and doors/curtain.
3. For clogged sinks, flush with boiling water, then disinfect with a baking soda + vinegar combo. Try a bent metal coat hanger if the gunk needs a little “help.” You should ideally flush your sinks every six months or so. No need to mess around with harsh chemicals in products like Draino.
4. Tuck an extra trash bag in the bottom of each of your trash cans. When it’s time to take out the trash, your next bag is waiting for you. Before I discovered this trick, I seriously used to take the trash out in the small bathroom trash cans, and leave them unbagged for days after. Ick.
5. Spilled a glass of wine on your carpet or rug? Absorb as much liquid as possible, then hit it with some hydrogen peroxide. Unlike marketed stain removers, hydrogen peroxide leaves no buildup behind in the rug fibers that can discolor your rug over time. I actually got this tip from a professional rug cleaner who cleaned our rugs last month.
6. Stick a piece of plastic wrap on the top of your refrigerator. Every month or so, just peel up the plastic wrap, throw it away, and replace. No need for dusting! This tip also works great on top of tall cabinets or other items above sight level.
7. Equal parts vinegar + Blue Dawn dish soap make for the most powerful, inexpensive, and versatile cleaning spray. I use my “Smurf pee” on my shower, but you can use it anywhere you need to break down tough grime. Just add your mixture to a spray bottle, spray on stains and let sit for thirty minutes, then rinse off.
8. Windex will clean stains off of fabric. I know, it seems WRONG to use Windex anywhere but glass, but after seeing so many before and after shots, I had to give it a try. A year ago or so, Little Cotton Candy decided to write in marker all over his rocking chair, and all it took was a few sprays of Windex and some scrubbing (not even that much), and the stain evaporated and stayed gone. I swear, it’s like magic.
9. Nuke your dish sponge in the microwave on HIGH for two minutes. Bam! Disinfected and dry.
10. If you’re feeling overwhelmed, start by cleaning out your kitchen sink, disinfecting it, and polishing it to a shine. Sounds insane, I know, but it’s so motivating. I got this tip from Fly Lady, who has a large following; I tried her system out for a few months but found it was too rigid for my needs.
What’s your favorite cleaning hack? Did you already know all of this stuff? I am so addicted to compiling these tricks!
blogger / nectarine / 2043 posts
Love these! Any hacks for long term cleaning a smelly dishwasher? We have hard water and every other time we run it, even though it’s a brand new machine, it stinks!
pomegranate / 3272 posts
As for #9, please make sure that the sponge is super wet before nuking it.
blogger / cherry / 142 posts
@Mrs. Carrot: Hmm, I haven’t had to tackle that issue myself, but here are some ideas: https://www.ifixit.com/Answers/View/97657/How+do+I+get+an+awful,+rotten+smell+out+of+my+dishwasher
blogger / cherry / 142 posts
@MUI831: Noted! And good point.
wonderful kiwi / 23653 posts
Love smurf pee!
blogger / kiwi / 626 posts
I’ve been following a simple cleaning schedule for the house and it is making such a difference. I feel so much better when the house is a little cleaner. These are great ideas!
cherry / 128 posts
Regarding the coarse salt + lemon trick… that combination also works really well for getting rid of those pesky hard water stains in toilet bowls. Just sprinkle the salt on the cut side of a lemon half and use it to scrub the stains off.
pear / 1622 posts
I used smurf pee yesterday
Thanks for this post – I love cleaning hacks like these!
blogger / persimmon / 1225 posts
These hacks are awesome, can’t wait to try them!!
pomelo / 5866 posts
Nuke a cut piece of lemon in a small bowl of water for 30 seconds. Super easy to wipe down your microwave in a flash.
guest
My latest discovery has been daily shower spray. I hadn’t really considered using it before until I was talking with a chemist at work. He insisted that I’d never have to scrub the shower again if I use the spray. So I’ve started using it after my shower in he morning and have definitely noticed the shower stays looking quite clean!
blogger / cherry / 142 posts
@Caroline. Awesome! What brand do you use? I might have to give this a try.